World Hunger

What an odd combination of movies I ended up watching tonight. First, I saw that Supersize Me was playing and after a day of laundry, cleaning the house and prepping for our coming trip, I decided to vege and watch it again as there were several bits of info that I felt I could use a refresher on.

Then I found Beyond Border. While I was not impressed by this love story, I was shocked by the young child that is found by Angelina (who wears impeccable while linen throughout her stay in Ethiopia, and despite the lack of potable water, she finds enough to wash her feet, which are also pristine compared to my feet after a few days of camping). I forget that starvation is still very much part of our world. Living here in the US, we are reminded daily of the ravage of overnutrition. In the last four years at my current job, four of my clients have undergone gastric bypass surgery paid by medical because their weight was such that it endangered their health. I can still see that child, his arms so emaciated, his skin glued to his skull, and those huge eyes, that seem to always be searching.

I read with pleasure that Flash enjoyed Live 8. I hope it was a success. There obviously is still a need for a lot of work to bring equality to this world. In the meantime, many of us drive our SUV around, complain about the price of gas and groceries, and cringe at the thought that we should do laundry in the evening when the demand on electricity is less. A simple image can change one's perspective in a moment.